SENIOR MEMBER

The Tactical Missiles Corporation (TMC) company is completing official trials of the Kh-58UShK anti-radiation missile intended to be fired from the internal weapons bay of the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter, general director Boris Obnosov told IHS Jane's at Airshow China 2014.

"It is an absolutely innovative item, having nothing common with the old X-58 missile except the similarity in designation. It is 0.5 m shorter than the Kh-58 and equipped with a new seeker. We are finishing the official trials of the new missiles, including launches from the T-50 prototypes," Obnosov said, adding that it could also be mounted on the external weapons carriage of the MiG-35, Su-30MK, Su-34, and Su-35 fighters.

The missile is being developed by a TMC subsidiary, the Raduga (Rainbow) state design bureau, which is based at Dubna city near Moscow. Official trials are to be completed and serial production to start in 2015.

The old Kh-58 missile could be equipped with one of a selection of four passive seekers, designed to target radars working at the different frequency ranges. The new Kh-58UShK missile has an innovative broadband passive radar seeker that allows it to target modern ground-based radars working at frequency ranges between 1.2 GHz and 11 GHz.

The new missile weighs 650 kg with a warhead weight of 149 kg, is 4.19 m long, has a wingspan of 0.8 m, and a diameter of 0.38 m. The Kh-58UShK's maximum speed is 4,200 km/h and it can be launched at aircraft speeds of Mach 0.47-1.5. It can also be launched at altitudes between 20-20,000 m, providing a maximum range varying between 76-245 km. The minimum range is 10-12 km, this at a launch height of 200 m. The Kh-58UShK has an 80% probability of striking within 20 m of the target emmiter.

The presence of the missile at Airshow China 2014 is noteworthy given the Chinese development of fifth-generation fighters such as the J-20 and J-31, which are both equipped with internal weapons bays.

A Kh-58UShK missile model with fins closed to fit in the internal weapons bay of a T-50/PAK-FA. (Nikolai Novichkov)